Paleo Banana Pancakes

It's been two years since our last post and I've seen started a new lifestyle blog here but I can't ignore the incredible number of visitors to this site and wanted to share a new recipe.  Two years later, I'm still abiding by the Paleo principles and I look/feel better than ever.

Close friends know, I eat a lot of food - especially in the morning.  So the idea of skipping breakfast is well, bananas. My fabulous roommate agrees, and as we're hopping out the door in the morning, she introduced me to a super easy and delicious recipe that I feel compelled to share with the world.

Banana Paleo Pancakes 

gluten free, dairy free, paleo, potassium boosting, breakfast.

Ingredients - 2 pancakes

2 eggs

1 ripe banana

1 tsp. coconut oil

Honey

Method

1. Add 1 banana and 2 eggs to a medium size bowl.

2. Use a hand blender for 30 seconds to blend (you can whisk by hand if need be)

3. Add coconut oil to non-stick pan

4. Add about half the batter

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low to medium heat, flip, cook for 1-2 minutes

6. Repeat step 3-5

7. Top w/ fresh fruit, honey, and any other toppings of your choice and service

Method Video - here

Enjoy!

Follow along on Instagram - @thedavecoast.

d.

Paleo Cuban Salmon

If asked, what we would eat for our final meal, it would probably be our Cuban Salmon.  We usually make this at least once a week and it’s our favourite dish to serve at dinner parties. It’s fool-proof easy and tastes like something you’d get at a 5-star restaurant.  Best part, for the first time ever, we’re sharing this recipe with our friends and YOU. 

What you need for 2 servings:

• 150-200g piece of fresh or frozen wild BC salmon (x2)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 shallots (or 1/2 an onion), diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• handful of fresh cilantro - chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

• pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F
• mix lemon juice, diced shallots, diced garlic, olive oil, cumin and cayenne pepper in a traditional measuring cup or small bowl
• add chopped fresh cilantro to mix
• arrange pieces of salmon on a baking tray
• cover salmon in marinade and let it sit until the oven is ready (you can let it marinade longer if you have the time)
• bake for 20-25 minutes - depends on your oven and size of salmon

Grilled Cuban Salmon w/ mashed coconut sweet potatoes and asparagus

Everybody shares different things but for us, we love to share food. My mouth is watering just writing this post, so give it a shot, even if you don't love cilantro, I promise you'll be surprised at the result.

Day 30 – Farewell to a Challenge, Hello to a Lifestyle

No gluten, grains, dairy, legumes, or pre-packaged food. Yes, that’s right, on February 1st, 2012, we decided to take to take part in a 30 day Paleo Challenge. We knew it would require a lot of research, patience and prep work but here we are, 150+ paleo meals later – successfully complete our first challenge. You may already be thinking the following:

 

·       I could never live without carbs

·       You boys don’t need to lose weight

·       This is crazy

·       Who has the time?

·       The food you eat must be so boring

·       Aren’t you hungry all the time?

And for anyone that’s been following along, they’ll know, that’s definitely not the case.  We ate gourmet meals, had amazing nights out, and didn’t lose a lb, while simultaneously feeling and looking better everyday.

 

Although the challenge has come to an end, it’s only just the beginning.  We do plan to continue eating paleo in our home but moving forward, we will approach eating out with a lot more flexibility.  To everyone, thank you so much for following along this challenge.  As the seasons change, and summer inches closer, we’ll continue to post our favourite paleo recipes and adventures throughout 2012 - hope to see you again soon!

Day 28 - Perfect Paleo Breakfast

Like all good things, practice makes perfect.  We discovered a recipe similar to this one, early on in our paleo challenge. Over the last 28 days, we've evolved the recipe into what we think is far better than the original.  It's sweet, easy to make, and just the right amount of 'heavy' to keep you full until lunch.

What you need - 2 servings:

• 12 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
• 4 tbsp almond hazlenut fruit & nut butter
• 2-3 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp zen matcha premium chocolate
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• sliced fresh fruit to top

Directions: 

• mix all ingredients in small pot 
• turn stove-top on to medium heat
• stir continuously for 5-10 minutes, until it starts to bubble
• serve in your favourite cup/bowl with fresh fruit

For the longest time, we didn't know what to call this dish.  It has the consistency of oatmeal, looks like porridge, but tastes like a rich dessert.  You can call it what you want, but to us, it's simply the perfect paleo breakfast. 

Day 23 - Mini Paleo Meat Loaf

Meat + veggies are paleo fundamentals. In this recipe, we pack mini meat loaf with herbs and spices to bring together an easy, quick, and delicious food to go.  Great for lunch, dinner, or a snack, these literally are the closest thing to a 'man muffin'.

What you need:

• 2lb of ground beef, turkey, chicken - whatever you like
• chopped fresh cilantro - handful
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 to 2 cups of finely chopped veggies - I used a zucchini, onion and carrots
• salt and peppers

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Grease muffin tins in coconut oil
• Mix all ingredients until well combined
• Form mixture into 12 balls/loafs and place in muffin tin
• Bake for 20-30 minutes - cut one in half to make sure its cooked

Recommended to us by our friend Ariel, she runs her own holistic nutritional consulting practice and she is as smart as she is talented.  This recipe makes about 10-12 and it may just be my new favourite dish. Enjoy!

Day 21 - Challenge Update

20 days in and only 10 to go - we never expected this challenge to be so enjoyable.  Sure, there's been a rough days and quite a few temptations along the way but overall, it's a very feasible culinary shift. We've found incredible paleo recipes and such a massive community online - also living in Vancouver has definitely helped, with a ton of great gluten free options at every turn.

Dave at Granville Island Public Market

That being said, the last 10 days are likely to be the most challenging.  Pat will be traveling across the country and Dave will have to cook it out solo, before some visitors make it into town this weekend.  We'll be updating our Paleo to-go section and posting as many new recipes as possible over the next few weeks. Until then - a huge thank you to everyone for their ongoing support, recipe ideas and inspiration! 

Day 17 - Super Size Breakfast

Everyone already knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For those new to Paleo, it can also be one of the hardest, as nobody loves to eat meat + veggies first thing the morning. Our simple solution, you don't have to! 

On the menu:

• Fresh fruit smoothie w/ 1 banana, 1 avocado, 1/2 pear, blueberries, coconut meat, splash of blackcurrant juice & cinnamon
• Paleo Crepes w/ fresh fruit + agave (1/2 cup almond flour, 5 eggs, salt - blended + cooked in coconut oil) 
• Paleo blueberry banana muffin
• Paleo oatmeal (4 tbps almond butter, 12 tbps unsweetened apple sauce, 2tbps coconut milk, cinnamon)
• Green tea
• 4g Omega-3 + 2,000 IU of Vitamin D-3

We tried our best to eat all this in one serving, and to be honest, it's nearly impossible. So if you're like us, space this out and you'll have enough energy to get you through any morning.